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LCV Welcomes Romney to Colorado, Home of 72,400 Green Jobs

WASHINGTON – Fresh off his exclusive multi-million dollar fundraiser at David Koch’s Southampton beach house, The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) today welcomes Mitt Romney to Colorado, home of more than 72,400 green jobs, ahead of his townhall at Central High School. Romney continues to be out-of-step with the state, calling green technologies “fads” and vowing to end tax incentives for clean energy while taking millions from Big Oil and pledging to protect their profits and billions in special tax breaks.

Although Romney continues to attack the Obama administration’s investment in the clean energy sector, green technologies are helping create thousands of jobs in the state. The latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that Colorado is home to 72,452 jobs in the green sector. The American Wind Energy Association has found that in 2011, the wind industry alone supported 4,000-5,000 jobs in Colorado - yet Romney has indicated that he would do away with a key provision supporting those jobs: the wind production tax credit.

In April, the League of Conservation Voters Victory Fund and Priorities USA Action partnered to release a television ad titled “$200 Million Man” to highlight Romney’s pledge to protect Big Oil at the expense of middle class Americans. The ad ran on television and online throughout Colorado.

Mitt’s Greatest Hits on Green Energy and Big Oil:

Romney would end government support for wind and solar power. According to McClatchy: “Romney rejects government support for wind and solar energy development. ‘To begin with, wind and solar power, two of the most ballyhooed forms of alternative fuel, remain sharply uncompetitive on their own with conventional resources such as oil and natural gas in most applications,’ his plan says. ‘Indeed, at current prices, these technologies make little sense for the consuming public but great sense only for the companies reaping profits from taxpayer subsidies.’” [McClatchy, 11/7/11]

Romney declared wind and solar power are not “real energy.” In an op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch, Romney wrote: “In place of real energy, Obama has focused on an imaginary world where government-subsidized windmills and solar panels could power the economy. This vision has failed. … The costs of this anti-growth agenda are plain. Our economy just had its worst non-recession year since World War II, and families are feeling the pain directly as gasoline prices surge to record highs.” [Columbus Dispatch, 3/5/12].

Romney dismissed green energy technologies as “expensive fads.” In an op-ed published on CNBC.com, Romney wrote: “President Obama came into office pledging to spend $150 billion to generate five million ‘green’ jobs. With politically connected firms vying for federal grants, the result has been fiascos. … There’s worse. For even as the Obama administration has been chasing expensive fads, it has severely restricted domestic energy production. Yet if we are going to grow again, we need to tap our nuclear know-how and our vast reserves of oil, gas, and coal.” [CNBC, 11/8/11].

Romney: “I don’t want to raise taxes on oil companies.” In response to the ads that the Obama Campaign and Priorities USA Action were running, which criticized Romney's support for tax breaks for oil companies, Romney said at a townhall meeting, "[Obama] blames me for the high price of gasoline because I don’t want to raise taxes on oil companies. I don’t like raising taxes on anybody." He then said that the President's proposal to eliminate oil subsides is part of a “dangerous” strategy to “divide America.” [Romney Townhall in Delaware, 4/10/12]

Romney dismissed eliminating oil subsidies as a “gimmick.” In an April 17 press release, Romney stated that President Obama’s plan to “target oil and gas producers for higher taxes” is part of a “government by gimmick” strategy that “will do nothing to reduce energy prices, expand domestic production, or strengthen the American economy.” [Romney press release, 4/17/12]

Romney also pledged support for oil company subsidies during the 2008 campaign. The New York Times reported: "In a written response to questions about his energy positions, Romney said Friday, ‘Now is not the right time to raise taxes on our oil companies.’ He expressed doubt about requirements to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions." [New York Times, 11/28/07]

# # #Paid for by the League of Conservation Voters, www.lcv.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.